Over 100 vehicles have been nabbed in the last three months

By Evan Bleier

Share This

Jeep's biggest? They — or at least Wranglers and Cherokees — can be hacked.

Last year, two hackers were able to commandeer a Cherokee’s steering and brakes via the SUV's OBD-II connection in a controlled experiment — and promptly got rewarded jobs with Uber’s Advance Technology Center as a result.

But recently, two other hackers with more nefarious intentions terrorized Jeep owners in Texas. According to Houston police, it only takes Michael Arcee and Jesse Zelaya six minutes to use laptops and pirated software to exploit cybersecurity flaws and gain control of a vehicle (which they then drive away).

Over the course of three months, the suspects (who are in custody) are believed to have stolen more than 100 Jeeps and Dodge pickups before exporting them to Mexico. Unfortunately, the cops say anyone with the pirated software can pull off the hack, which makes the crime virtually impossible to stop unless suspects are caught laptop-handed.

Considering newer-fangled cars also spend more time in the shop than their more analogue predecessors, maybe you ought to go classic next time you're in the market for a ride.